Carving at the Heartwood
by veronica.toon.7
Summary: Short story. Cedar has been being bullied at school by Faybelle, so then Raven comes and comforts her by acting like a big sister to her.


**Short story. Cedar is being bullied at school by Faybelle, so Raven comes and comforts her by acting like a big sister to her. No pairings, just nice, comforting stuff between friends.**

 **I do not own Ever After High. Mattel does. I don't own the cover image either.**

 **Enjoy the story!**

* * *

Raven's PoV

It was just another regular, magical day at Ever After High. Raven was just walking from classes when she saw Faybelle fluttering out of the janitor's closet, cackling evilly before flying up to somewhere else.

One thing you should know, if you see the daughter of the evil fairy that cursed Sleeping Beauty into sleeping for a hundred years is giggling, it is never a good sign.

Deciding to see what she was up too, she entered the janitor door and peered inside. First things she saw in the dark were mops, brooms, buckets, cleaning supplies and... a pile of wood?

On further examination, he realized the wood was connected together and was wearing a purple lace dress. A pile of messy, brown curls lay on top of the pile and the top lifted itself to reveal a face... a sad face with rich, brown eyes that appeared to be almost crying. Only one person at Ever After High fit the description

Cedar. Daughter of Pinocchio, a puppet brought to life by the Blue-Haired fairy's magic. Cursed to always tell the truth, all the time, never a lie. Every single day.

Prime target for bullies everywhere.

Raven quickly hurried in and shut the door behind her. No one was getting in just to mess with Cedar. She hurried over to the puppet girl's side and took her hand. The brown-skinned girl whimpered and buried herself deeper into her legs.

"Cedar, are you okay?" The girl shrank in even more before recognizing her voice and looking up.

"R-Raven," she asked. Her voice sounded like it was breaking but when Raven saw her face, it was as dry as the wood the girl was carved on.

The Blue-Haired Fairy's magic gave Cedar emotions, the ability to think and move by herself, basic stuff like that, but when it came to extreme and passionate feelings, such as crying, or even feeling pain from injury and feeling herself from the inside, that was the limit that the magic stopped working. Cedar would gain these abilities when she completed her story as Pinocchio.

But she hadn't signed her destiny, so who knows if it was ever going to happen.

Her thoughts were interrupted after something launched and grasped onto her, the feeling of wood scraping alongside her neck. Then it hit her. Cedar was hugging her around her neck, so she held onto her too.

"Easy Cedar. Easy. Can you tell me exactly what happened just a minute ago with you and Faybelle?" Cedar sniffed and wiped her face with her hand for the nonexistent tears streaming down her face. A downside of being made out of wood, no tears to express sadness, joy or any other emotion. She got back into her sitting position, so Raven got next to her too.

"I-it wasn't supposed to be like this. I was just walking from out of class to my locker when Faybelle pulled me in," she admitted. Her eyes went down to her interlocked fingers.

"What did she want," Raven asked, scooting in closer to Cedar and putting an arm around her back as a comforting gesture.

"N-nothing. She said that she was g-glad that I chose to be a Rebel. Since-"

Cedar grew silent. Raven waited until she continued moments later. Cedar looked back up, staring directly into her eyes, deep purple meeting warm brown that appeared to have a shiny glaze on them.

"She said that no matter what I chose, a Royal or a Rebel, my story would always be the least important with me as the most insignificant character in it." Cedar hugged Raven again, this time her wooden body shaking. Raven held onto her tightly, making sure Cedar had a good shoulder to cry, so to speak, on.

A few minutes passed, the bell rang, signaling for next class, but Raven stayed with Cedar. She knew that both would get scolded for their late arrivals, but it didn't matter. Helping a friend out was way more important than being on time for class.

"We should get t-to class, Raven. W-we shouldn't keep our teachers waiting," Cedar said as they both broke apart and started getting to their feet. Raven helped her up, Cedar's joints creaking as she stood up straight. She looked up at Raven and smiled. Raven started to copy it, but then grew an intrigued expression. On Cedar's cheek, right underneath her left eye, a bead of moisture had left a wet trail underneath her eyelid.

A tear.

Raven pointed. "Cedar, look." Cedar's hand went to her face and Raven pulled out a small compact mirror from her school bag so she could look. Cedar popped the lid open and peered into it. She turned it a few times till she saw what Raven had seen.

Hesitantly, her finger went up and gently flitted the top of the trail, smoothing on downwards to the bead of fluid. She let her finger moisten from the tear and she tapped the finger on her tongue, checking to see if it was real.

"S-salty. This tear... its salty. I taste it Raven. I really taste it, my tear. My first tear," Cedar said. Her voice was a mixture of awe and excitement. Raven nodded and hugged her.

"That's right Cedar. It is real. It is real, just like you. You are real and your becoming more real everyday." Raven placed her hands on Cedar's shoulders, looking her directly in the eyes again.

"Don't let anyone tell you you aren't or that you don't matter, because you do matter. You hold such great significance. You affect all of us. Don't let anybody tell you you don't, cause they are majorly wrong." Cedar smiled and brushed away the dried trail, blurring it and chipping off small parts of the crust that had formed.

"Thanks Raven. It really helps, really. No lie," she giggled, Raven joining with her. "You're really like an older sister to me. Thanks for caring about me." Cedar hugged Raven again, Raven squeezing tightly back.

Then they heard footsteps from outside the door and the doorknob twisted open, letting in some hard light as some students and faculty members found them.

"There you two are. We've been looking all over for you guys. Prof. Rumpelstiltskin isn't to happy about you two being late for Chemythstry" came the voice of Apple White, daughter of Snow White and... Raven's step-niece. Poster student for the Royals side, seemingly perfect in every way. Apparently now in breaking up touching moments too.

Still, missing a few minutes of Chemythstry with Rumpelstiltskin teaching with his gruff and mean demeanor towards the students...

"Sorry Apple. Cedar here had a little fall-in with Faybelle and needed some cheering up, but its all fine now. Right Cedar," Raven asked. The wooden puppet grl nodded. Apple looked sympathetic and shocked at her.

"Oh, Cedar. I'm so sorry. Faybelle is a Royal, and also a future villain, yet it doesn't mean we don't have to get all rude and cruel with people from the other side" Apple quickly apologized. Cedar shrugged.

"Its okay Apple. Raven here really helped me out. I feel much better now," Cedar replied. Apple smiled.

"That's good to here. Now come on, before I get in trouble with Rumpelstiltskin to for trying to get you girls out of the janitor's closet." The three girls giggled and got out and started towards the Chemythstry room.

As Apple lead the three, Cedar took the opportunity to hold Raven's hand. Raven felt it and squeezed it, giving assurance to Cedar. They knew Faybelle attended the class to, but this time, her words wouldn't and couldn't effect Cedar any longer.

There was no way she would be carving at Cedar's heartwood any longer. Not with Cedar's new sister around to help it grow and protect it.

* * *

 **Hope you all enjoyed this. Please review and tell me how I did. Reviews are loved and cherished. Sincerely, v.t.7**


End file.
